| Abstract: |
This paper deals with the current development of Lao language, adopting a socio-linguistic perspective based on Pierre Bourdieu's social theory. It is argued that two parallel tendencies can be observed. First, there is an increasing differentiation of sociolects. Second, a more unified national language is emerging. The paper puts these tendencies into a historical perspective and links them to current Lao social structure. Linguistic universes (or 'languages') that evolved historically continue to persist in present society but are transformed and superseded by modern social 'fields'. The main types of historical language in Laos seem to be the languages of the family and the village, the court, and the Buddhist order. These fields and the national language itself are subject to the pressures of globalization, which lead to language imports along with adaptation in praxis and technology.
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